Giant Polish Chandelier DIY

A month or two ago I made this giant Polish Chandelier (see all the pictures right here.) I meant to post it earlier so sorry to everyone who has been patiently waiting for the DIY post. This project isn’t fast but its made of cheap materials, so its perfect for someone who doesn’t have a lot of money to spend but has some time on their hands. My favorite thing about this is there is so much variation in the different pieces that I felt like I was doing so many types of crafting just for this one project. It was really fun and satisfying to make. I think these would be so cool at a wedding, it would be sweet to put one above each table. See all the instructions below!

Materials Needed: 36″ hoop (or we bought some thick wire and taped it together to create our own.), crepe paper folded sheets (not rolls) in the colors of your choice, tissue paper, thin cardstock, glue, string, a long needle, tape, scissors, fine gauge wire.

1. If you want to make your own hoop just measure out 36″ and wrap the wire around the circle several times until it feels sturdy then tape it together.

2. Wrap it in crepe paper to make it pretty.

The chandelier is broken down into three kinds of pieces: straws, stars, and flowers. Once you know how to make them you just configure them in different ways.

3. It is possible to buy real straw for this but I couldn’t find any so I made my own out of paper. To make the straws you’ll need some cardstock cut unto strips (about 4″ long) , a pencil, and glue.

4. Roll the cardstock around the pencil to shape it.

5. Then add glue and hold until it sticks. I made 130 of these for my chandelier.

6. Now for the stars. I made these stars out of tissue paper and then out of cardstock. Start with a square about 3″ wide and cut a circle out of it. I usually cut these in a stack to save time.

7. Then cut out little slivers to make the little petals.

8. When you are done with the cardstock make them out of tissue. I didn’t count how many I made of these but it was a lot. I made a hefty pile and then would make more when I ran out.

9. The flowers are fun to make. You need some crepe paper and wire for this.

10. Start with some strips of crepe paper and begin rolling. Focus on making one side tight and the other end a little looser.

11. Pinch the tight end. I keep the finished petals in one hand while I roll with my other.

12. When you have 10-12 petals wire them together  a few times around as tight as you can. Keep adding bunches and wiring it on until the flower gets big enough.

13. Secure the wire by twisting it but leave the tails of the wire  attached for when you are assembling it later. For mine I made 16 large flowers around the rim and 8 small flowers for the bottom.

14. To make the strands first thread a piece of straw.

15. Then add some tissue stars.

16. Crumple the tissue paper to give the stars body.

17. Then add a star made out of cardstock and sandwich it with some more tissue. Repeat.

18. There were a total of eight long strands (ten straw sections each) and eight short strands (which had six straw sections each.)

19. Attach all eight long strands evenly around the hoop and bring them all together at the top in a knot. Then hang the chandelier from a doorway while you finish the assembly.

20. Attach the eight short strands on the hoop between where the long strands are attached. They scallop around the bottom in a ‘U’ shape.

21. Finally attach the large flowers with wire everywhere a string attaches to the hoop. Top it off by adding a little flower to the bottom of each ‘U’ or short strand.

And voila’! You’re done. Of course play around with the colors and design of yours. Traditionally Polish Chandeliers have eight strings but other than that you can add flowers or change colors to your liking. Happy Crafting!

Thanks to Anne for being my model.

Category: DIY projects, parties + party ideas, Party + Wedding Ideas